Home Is Where the Tablet Is

Just over one-third of tablet owners likely to use devices in-store

US consumers have embraced tablets at a staggering pace. And one of the major selling points has been their portability. But, interestingly, a Q1 2012 study by Viacom of US tablet owners found that they used their devices at home 74% of the time. That makes sense considering that consumers appeared to be using tablets largely for entertainment purposes, such as playing games, or watching television and movies.

Of those using tablets at home, more than nine in 10 employed the devices in either the living room or bedroom, bolstering the idea that consumers used tablets primarily for fun or relaxation. But three-quarters of respondents were at least somewhat likely to use their tablets in a home office, suggesting that the devices were used for work at least some of the time.

Outside the home, tablet owners were most likely to use their devices while waiting at an airport, or in an airplane. Meanwhile, a low percentage of respondents (36%) used their devices in a store, suggesting that tablets do not have the same mobile shopping draw as smartphones. In-store shoppers are more likely turning to smaller smartphones to check prices and browse product reviews. But recent research has shown that
consumers are taking advantage of tablets’ larger screen sizes to research products before arriving at a brick-and-mortar location.

eMarketer estimates that there will be 54.8 million tablet users in the US by the end of 2012, with that number climbing sharply to 89.5 million by 2014.